R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

MEDICAL CAMP: Mr Romesh Chander Dogra, Health and Family Welfare Minister, Punjab, inaugurated a free medical check up camp at Talwara on Sunday. About 500 children, below five were given hepatitis-B injections.

LUDHIANA
APPROVAL: The annual general meeting of the Urban Estate Ram Lila Dasehra Committee Dugri, Ludhiana, which was held under the chairmanship of its president, Mr Raj Garg, has unanimously approved the annual income and expenditure account for the year 2002-2003 ending March 31. The general secretary, Dr Shiv Gupta while giving the details stated that total collections worth Rs 162839 were received. Whereas total expenses worth Rs 132738 were incurred on the celebration of Ram Lila and Dasehra 2002.

BOOKS GIVEN: The Lal Bahadur Shastri Social Forum on Sunday organised a social welfare programme at Anand Marga Primary School, New Kundanpuri, Ludhiana, under the chairmanship of Mr Sushil Malhotra. In a press note, the forum secretary-general, Dr Shiv Kumar, said the chief guest, Mr Raj Kumar, distributed books and, note books free of cost to about 125 students and appreciated the activities of the forum.

MEETING: A literary Punjabi organisation, Sirjandhara, organised its monthly meeting at Punjabi Bhavan on Sunday. Col Channan Singh Dhillon presided over the meeting. During the meeting, three newly published books of Dann Singh Komal, Satnam Singh Komal and Ajit Singh were discussed.

ELECTED: The following have been elected office-bearers of the local Electronic Traders Association: chairman — Mr Daljit Singh Tuli; president — Mr Narinder Singh; senior vice-president — Mr Vijay Chopra; vice-presidents — M/s Manjit Singh Shelly, Harjinder Singh Lovely, Darshan Singh Raj, Ashok Mehra; joint secretaries — Mr Harpal Singh Babboo and Mr N.K. Verma; secretaries — Mr Rajesh Kumar and Mr Sarbjit Shunty; treasurer — Mr Davinder Pal Puppy, PRO — Mr Om Parkash Sharma; and advisers — M/s Mahesh Kumar, Ram Pal, Tajinder Singh.

PATIALA
IN-SERVICE COURSE: Deputy Commodore Col D.S. Khara on Monday inaugurated a 21-day in-service course for physical education teachers of four northern regions of Kendriya Vidyalayas. About 60 teachers are attending the course. During these 21 days experts from NIS, Government College of Physical Education and eminent sportspersons and educationists will address the PETs and update their knowledge. The course Director, Mr H.S. Puri, Principal, K.V No.1 Patiala and Assistant Director Mr R.K. Middha, Principal, K.V., Nabha were also present on the occasion.

INAUGURATED: The Deputy Mayor, Mr Inderjit Singh Boparai, on Monday inaugurated a safai programme ‘Mera Patiala mein aap swaran’ launched by Patiala MP Preneet Kaur initiated by the Welfare Association Harinder Nagar Colony. Members of the colony apart from cleaning the streets and roads also removed congress grass. Mr Inderjit Singh said that other associations and committees of the colonies should also take example from this association.

MARUTI CARNIVAL: Maruti car owners got their cars checked free of cost at a customer-friendly one-day Maruti summer carnival organised by the Hira Automobiles Ltd here on Monday. The special offer was available for the day on Maruti finance through ICICI Bank Ltd. Besides this freebies and discounts like Maruti insurance through National Insurance Co Ltd, were available on extended warranty through Maruti, on car ACs through Subros and on Maruti Genuine Accessories. Another attraction of the carnival was the lucky draw entitled for each registered customer after every three hours and a bumper prize.

PHAGWARA
FIRE IN OFFICE: A fire broke out in the office of Aakriti Financial Service here on Saturday. The office, located on the service by-lane, along the GT Road, was closed due to Sunday. There was no loss of life although some furniture, office records and curtains were damaged in the fire.

PHILLAUR
OT ASSISTANTS: The Punjab State Senior OT Assistants, OT Supervisors and Anaesthesia Technicians Union, led by its president, Mr Neelkamal, has urged the state government to create posts of OT Assistant in the civil hospitals of the state and fill the vacant posts at ESI hospitals. These demands were made at a state-level meeting of the union held here on Monday. Union general secretary S. Gurcharan Singh, while talking to reporters here on Monday, said the union demanded rent-free accommodation for OT Assistants as they were supposed to be on 24-hour duty for emergency calls.

SAMRALA
APPOINTED: Mr Kirpal Singh Grewal, chairman of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (Kisan and Khet Mazdoor Department), has appointed Mr Fateh Singh Nagra as vice-chairman of the PPCC (Kisan Cell and Khet Mazdoor Wing) with immediate effect. This appointment has been approved by the President, PPCC, Mr H.S. Hanspal, according to Mr Kirpal Singh Grewal.

ELECTED: At a meeting of the executive body of the Brahaman Sabha, Samrala, held in the Durga Mandir on Monday. Mr Behari Lal Saddi was elected as the president of the sabha. This was informed by Mr Pawan Kaushal, general secretary of the sabha.

NAIB TEHSILDAR: Mr Balwinder Singh Saini has taken over as naib tehsildar here on Monday in place of Mr Sadhu Singh who has gone to Longowal sub- tehsil. Earlier, Mr Saini was posted at Majri sub-tehsil in Ropar district.

NON-JUDICIAL PAPERS: Non-judicial papers of the denomination from Rs 50 to 500 are not available in the local sub treasury since long. Causing a great inconvenience to the general public, the president of the document writers, Mr J.S. Kaler, demanded from the Punjab Government to issue instructions to the treasury officers to make alternative arrangements immediately.

HARYANA

AMBALA
INAUGURATED: A sum of Rs 5 crore is being spent on various schemes of water supply in the Naggal constituency, said Mr Jasbir Malour, MLA, Naggal. He inaugurated two such schemes in Brahman Majra and Rampur villages. He said all villages of his constituency had been getting sufficient drinking water.

KAITHAL
DALIT MEMO: Demanding action against those responsible for Harsola, Dulina and Meham episodes, the Ravidass Sangharsh Samiti submitted a memorandum to the Haryana Chief Minister through the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Anurag Agarwal, here on Sunday. The Samiti has demanded the restoration of policy of categorisation of Schedule Castes which was in force prior to amendments made to it in 1994.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

BAKLOH (CHAMBA)
DEMAND: The local Chhetriya Vikas Samiti has urged the Himachal Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, to consider their demand for granting subtehsil status to Bakloh-Kakira, which, at the moment, is part of Bhattiyat tehsil in Chamba district. Capt Prem Jung Thapa (retd), president of the samiti, said here on Monday that the sub-tehsil status for the township would go a long way in solving the numerous recurring problems of the surrounding panchayats and prove to be a boon for the development of this difficult belt.

CHAMBA
PROBE DEMAND: Some of the parent-Teacher Association (PTAs) here have demanded from the state government to order a high-level probe into the re-evaluation irregularities committed in the case of plus one and plus two classes of the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education (HPBSE) during last year. It has come to light that last year plus one and plus two students who were placed in the compartment category were declared passed after their examination papers were re-evaluated at the behest of certain influential leaders.

COMPENSATION: Families on whose land 400-KV transmission line towers were raised between Khairi to Chamba in Chamba district have sought compensation for the land used for the purpose. In a press statement issued here on Sunday these affected families stated that they had made representations to the Union and the State government urging them for compensation for the land used.